Lee steps up resources diplomacy in Congo*

A day after rejoicing over Pyeongchang's successful bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics in Durban, South Africa President Lee Myung-bak arrived in Democratic Republic of the Congo for a two-day visit on Thursday afternoon.

Lee and his Congolese counterpart Joseph Kabila discussed ways to boost cooperative ties in infrastructure, resources development and agricultural collaboration.

Resource-rich Congo has been going through a slow process of political stabilization since the end of a civil war in 2003 and is waiting for foreign investors.

The leaders agreed to combine Korea's technological and development experience with Congo's abundant natural resources to help rehabilitate the African nation. They pledged to work together in building water purification plants and sea ports as well as developing mineral resources like copper.

The two countries also signed a series of agreements on infrastructure construction and joint oil exploration.

Refugees flee rebels in the Congo...Thousands of Congolese Flee to Uganda after Rebel AttackJuly 14, 2013 > The Ugandan Red Cross says up to 55,000 refugees from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have fled to Uganda after a rebel group attacked a town along the countries' shared border.

The fighting scattered people in town of Kamongo located in Congo's North Kivu province.

Red Cross officials says refugees have entered into Uganda through the country's western Bundibugyo district finding temporary shelter at schools in the area.

Refugees from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) wait at the Busunga border in western Uganda

Rebels from the Ugandan-led Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked the Congolese town on Thursday causing an unknown number of casualties.

The group was formed in the mid 1990s and has been hiding in the mountains of eastern Congo for years after being ousted by the Uganda government forces.

Kerry gonna stop the war in the Congo...Kerry Seeks End to Military Support for Congo RebelsJuly 25, 2013  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has called on all parties to end their support for armed rebel groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Secretary Kerry made the call at his United Nations debut as the top U.S. diplomat Thursday, chairing a high-level U.N. Security Council session on the Great Lakes region and the DRC. He told the meeting that he is deeply concerned about recent reports of resumed external support to the M23 rebel group, and reports of collaboration with the Rwandan Hutu rebel group in the eastern DRC, known as the FDLR. I want to be emphatic here today: all parties must immediately end their support for armed rebel groups," he said. "All governments must hold human rights violators and abusers accountable. We must end the era of impunity.

Earlier this week, Human Rights Watch issued a report saying Rwanda has provided ammunition, food, and training to M23 rebels and allowed its leaders to recruit inside Rwanda, including among demobilized Rwandan soldiers. Meanwhile, Rwanda accused U.N. peacekeepers of backing alleged collaboration between the DRC army and the FDLR. While Kerry did not directly name Rwanda, he urged regional actors to exercise restraint and return to a constructive path, moving forward to address the root causes of regional conflict and permanently resolve it.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also expressed concern about recent fighting and called on the signatories to February's Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework to work positively with each other in order to endorse the document this September on the margins of the annual General Assembly debate. Ban urged countries to support this goal through all the means available, including sanctions for spoilers. I call on the international community to use all tools from international criminal prosecution to sanctions regimes to development assistance, he said.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo appeared to ignore allegations that her government supports armed groups in the eastern DRC. She said Rwanda is eager to do its part to help implement the Framework agreement, and noted Rwanda's cooperation in helping facilitate the handover of wanted warlord Bosco Ntaganda to the International Criminal Court when he surrendered at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali in March. In an effort to stem the violence, the United Nations recently added a robust specialized force to its already huge peacekeeping mission in the eastern Congo. The so-called intervention brigade is tasked with neutralizing armed groups. The U.N. will also soon start using unarmed drones to monitor the DRC's lengthy eastern border. On the development side, the World Bank has pledged $1 billion to enhance infrastructure and encourage trade.

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